Mithras

Mithras—also called Mithra—was a
deity
from ancient Indo-Iranian* mythology. He became a major figure in the
religion known as Zoroastrianism, which originated in ancient Persia*. The
cult
of Mithras spread into the Mediterranean world, where for a time it
rivaled Christianity as the fastest-growing new religion.

Some scholars identify Mithras with Mitra, a mythic figure of the Aryan
peoples who invaded northern India around the l600s
B
.
C
. Mitra, the god of friendship, was associated with the sun and served as
one of the judges of the dead. He was supposed to bring worthy people back
to life after the universe ended. Some of Mitra's functions lingered in
the developing mythology of Mithras.

The Persians saw Mithras as the principal assistant of Ahura Mazda, the
god of goodness and light. Mithras battled demons,
sorcerers,
and other evildoers and helped the souls of worthy humans. In another
role, as a god of war, he rode in a golden chariot pulled by four horses.
Born from the earth, Mithras emerged from a broken rock with a torch in
one hand and a sword in the other. These objects represented his two roles
as sun god and war god.

In the Greek and Roman form of the cult, Mithras's most important mythic
act was the slaying of a great bull, whose body and blood became the
source of all life on earth. Images of Mithras usually show him killing a
bull. Such sacrifices were central to his worship, which took place in
shrines located in caves or cavelike buildings in honor of the god's
subterranean
origins.

Little concrete information about the Greek and Roman form of Mithraism
survives. Most descriptions of how the religion was practiced in Greece
and Rome come from later Christian writers. Among Romans, Mithraism became
an all-male cult much favored by soldiers, and the army carried it to
Britain, Germany, and other outposts of the empire. Several Roman emperors
worshiped Mithras. One was Diocletian, who in
A
.
D
. 307 dedicated a temple on the Danube River to Mithras, "Protector
of the Empire."

deity
god or goddess

cult
group bound together by devotion to a particular person, belief, or god

sorcerer
magician or wizard

subterranean
under the earth

pagan
term used by early Christians to describe non-Christians and
non-Christian beliefs

Mithraism bore many similarities to Christianity. For example, Mithras was
said to have been born on December 25, to have performed miracles, and to
have eaten a last supper with his 12 followers. After Christianity became
the official religion of the empire in the 300s, Mithraism was suppressed
along with other
pagan
beliefs.